Ace in Hand
by blakes8th
Summary: The Doctor never realized he had unfinished business from his past


Ace in Hand

Part 1 of the Duty of care series

Disclaimer: Nothing you recognise belongs to me, it all belongs to the British Broadcasting Corporation!

Rating: T, though not all of the parts of this series will have the same rating.

Part 1 of the Duty of Care series where the 12th Doctor interacts with previous companions and by default their corresponding Doctor.

?

The scorching hot planet with the magenta sky and oceans of lava was not your usual setting for a luxury holiday destination, but the number of tourists which came and went on a daily basis meant that when a grating and whining noise cut through the air, disturbing the local fauna, nobody paid much attention to the appearance of a blue wooden box with a sign which read 'police public call box'. They didn't even give it a second glance when the door opened and a small man wearing a brown jacket and cream hat bounded out.

"Arcturys Prime, just as I promised." The Doctor bowed theatrically, removing his hat and indicating for his companion to precede him out of the blue box they called home.

"Ace!" The teenage girl exclaimed, bouncing past him, knocking him with her backpack. The Doctor huffed, putting his hat back on.

"Chivalry is wasted on you." He scolded, but with a smile on his face. He put his umbrella up against his shoulder and followed after her, watching with affection as she whirled around.

"This place is amazing, the sky is so pink! Cool!"

"Well, cool is probably not the right word. This planet is actually constantly on fire, no naturally occurring bodies of water, the seas, oceans and rivers are lava, with islands connected by suspension bridges. The trees, plants and wildlife have adapted to survive the constant drought. This world is probably one of the harshest in the known universe. However, it has got the best hotel and restaurant complex with live music and leisure facilities, and a view of the biggest magma falls you will ever see, and as the sun sets, the lava lakes light up the sky, causing an aurora with colours that have yet to be defined."

"And its hot." Ace stopped whirling and puffed out her cheeks. She put her backpack down and took off her jacket. "Professor, can I put this back in the Tardis?" The Doctor smiled.

"Yes, I think I might leave my coat too." He unlocked the door, and plopped his coat down just inside. Ace dumped her bag and Jacket on top of his.

"Do you really think you need the umbrella and tank top, doesn't look much like it's gonna rain?" She laughed. The Doctor winked.

"You should know by now that an umbrella is for more than keeping dry." He shut the door. "Come on then, Arcturian Pancakes await." He held out his arm, allowing Ace to link hers through his and they headed off in the direction of the restaurant.

They had been walking for about five minutes, crossing the metal bridges which the first human colonists had erected to turn their superheated world into a first class tourist destination, Ace loved to watch the fast flowing lava as it sped along the bedrock, hundreds of feet below, although if she had looked behind her she would have seen the Doctor having a minor coronary in both hearts every time she leaned over the balustrade to look.

"Ace! Please be careful. I'm not ready to regenerate through heart failure!" He called out. She laughed.

"It's like looking into a volcano! Does this stuff ever erupt?"

"No. Volcanic eruptions happen when underground magma is forced up through fissures in the planets crust. The lava here is free flowing, so no pressure build up. There may be the occasional tremor. But serious quakes are few and far between."

"Pity, that would be awesome." She laughed. They could see the restaurant in the distance, and carried on over the bridges. "C'mon slowcoach". And she took off again. The Doctor had put the tardis down on a relatively secluded island so they could go back and watch the evening light show in peace, and as it was still early, there were very few people milling about on the islands. Ace ran over the next bridge and was almost at the other side when the ground began to shake. She grabbed onto the cable rail and looked back at the Doctor who had only just stepped onto the bridge. The shaking continued, growing in intensity. The air was pierced by the screams of terrified tourists.

"Professor?" She shouted, trying to mask her fear with bravado, she started back towards him when there was a loud ping and the anchors holding the bridge cables in place started to buckle and flex.

"No! Ace keep going, get to the other side!" He shouted, grabbing onto the side. He watched in horror as the cables gave way and the bridge snapped in the middle. He used his umbrella to yank himself back to safety, hitting the ground with a bruising thud, the shaking subsided, and he rolled to see where Ace was, preying to all the deities he could name that she had made it to the other side. He blinked through blurry vision and his hearts sank as he saw her hanging onto the metal cable about three feet below the edge of safety, the bridge hanging limply, swinging and banging against the rock face, pieces breaking off and plummeting into the raging river of molten rock below.

"Ace! Hang on! I'm coming." He shouted, desperately. "I'll have to get the tardis!"

"DOOCCTTOORRR! HELP!" He heard her shout. Then he saw a sight which almost had him believe that someone had been listening as he said those prayers. Two people appeared above Ace and began to pull her to safety, he scrambled to his feet, wiping his forearm across his eyes, for the first time he notices the blood which smeared on his white shirt and realised the liquid getting into his eyes was from a gash on his forehead, he put that out of his mind as he saw Ace being hauled to safety. "Ace, I'll find you!" He shouted and set off at a sprint back to the Tardis.

?

"Sweetie, you know I love this place, but really, three times this week. If we carry on breakfasting here these pancakes are going to seriously limit my running. It's alright for you, you don't seem to gain an ounce."

River walked hand in hand with her husband, full to the brim from eating at the magma falls restaurant. He smiled softly.

"Ahh, River my love, there's got to be some perks to this body." He replied, River loved his Scottish accent, she swore that she would never get tired of hearing him say her name. She squeezed his hand.

"For your information, and I believe I have told you this several times already, I absolutely love this body of yours. If I wasn't stuffed full of pancake and fruit, I'd show you right now how much I love it." She teased. She laughed as he raised his eyebrows. "God I love it when you do the sexy eyebrow thing!"

They were only eight months into their twenty four year Derillium night, but they had already cheated several times, leaving their house overlooking the singing towers to go on an adventure for weeks on end and getting back just a few seconds later. They had been together, living in the same timeline for just over a year and they were loving every second, living the slow path, but making sure they could stretch it out for as long as they wanted.

They walked slowly, the Tardis nestled amongst the trees ahead, but suddenly the ground

began to shake, knocking both of them off their feet. The Doctor covered River's body with his own, shielding their heads from debris falling from the trees. After a few moments, the quaking settled and they both sat up.

"Well. That's new." River exclaimed, brushing twigs and debris off her husbands back. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine", he answered, returning the favour by removing a few twigs from her riotous curls. "It's unusual though. Just our luck to be here on one of the very few days this planet suffers a quake."

"Oh well, no harm done..."

"DOOCCTTOORRR! HELP!" They both jumped to their feet and started running towards the voice.

"You had to go and say..."

"I know, I know..."

The both skidded to a halt at the edge of a ravine where a bridge used to be, River pointed to the other side.

"Look, Isn't that..."

"Yes, it is. River help me, sit on my legs!" She grabbed his legs and held on for dear life as he slipped his burgundy jacket off an leaned over as far as he could, dangling it down. She heard some scuffling and then he started to shimmy backwards, she pulled at his belt, helping to drag him back, he slung his jacket back behind her, and reached down again, grasping something she couldn't see.

"Hang on, I've got you." He grunted. She pulled back with all her might until she saw a small hand reach up and grasp at the Doctor's shirt at his shoulder. River reached out and grabbed the hand, though it was slick with blood, she grasped it with two hands and pulled as hard as she could, still straddling her husbands hips to keep him from slipping over the edge until finally, with one last effort, the owner of the hand appeared over the edge and River hauled the teenage girl to safety. River grabbed back onto her husbands belt until he too had managed to wriggle back from the dangerous drop. They all lay there for a moment, gasping for breath, River heard the other doctor shout across the ravine about finding the girl before heading off, back to his Tardis she presumed. She looked at the girl who sat cradling her shredded hands.

"Oh Sweetheart, we need to get those taken care of." She held the girls hand softly, and inspected the bloody palm, she could see slivers of the metal cable which had embedded themselves under the skin where she had hung onto the fraying lifeline. The Doctor gathered up his jacket and draped it over the girls shuddering shoulders.

"Ace? Come on, you're going into shock, we need to get you inside." The Doctor knelt in front of Ace, gently stroking her cheek. Ace looked at him, tears streaking her cheeks.

"How do you know me?" She whispered. The Doctor smiled, his blue eyes twinkling.

"Oh, I'd never forget my nitro nine girl, no matter how many years have passed, or how many times I've changed my face."

"Professor?"

"Only, you really are going to have to call me Doctor. She really is a professor, and it'll get confusing." He smiled. "Now come on, my tardis is just up ahead. We can get your hands cleaned up and I'll send a message to my other self, so we can get you home." He stood up and stood behind Ace, putting his hands under her arms, he gently helped her to her feet, River helped support her, but Ace started to shake.

"I'm sorry Prof...Doctor. I can't...I feel really sick..." River looked into her husbands eyes, an unspoken communication passed between them. She mouthed 'Shock?' He nodded.

"I think we can speed things up a bit." River held Ace upright as The Doctor slid one arm around the girls back and the other swept up underneath her knees, lifting her easily. They made it it back to the Tardis in record time and the Doctor carried her straight to the medical bay, where he gently laid her down on the medical couch. River gathered all of the necessary equipment and got to work on Ace's hands. The Doctor nodded and left them to return to the console room. He put the Tardis into flight, and peered up at the rotor.

"Ok old girl, I'm going to need your help. We have to get a message to a previous me, at a specific moment in time. The seventh me was just on Arcturys Prime, can you follow the thread back, influence his tardis to land at Derillium just after us." The Tardis let out a wheeze and a groan, the time rotor slowed for a moment then sped up. The Doctor nodded. "I know, I'm sorry. I realise that the idea of two of you and two of me at the same place and same time is a paradox, and you hate paradoxes, but I can't just drop her off somewhere and hope he'll come and find her. I was really rubbish at steering back then if you'd care to remember." The Tardis let out a series of sounds which sounded suspiciously like she was laughing, then the rotor slowed to it's usual speed, and a series of lights twinkled on the display. The Doctor smiled and ran his hand along the edge of the console.

"Thank you. Now, lets go home." He set the Tardis on automatic, knowing that she would take them to his workshop on Derillium and stepped out, making his way back to the med bay. He paused at the door, watching the scene in front of him. River was carefully pulling the pieces of metal from Ace's hands with a pair of tweezers, gently talking to her while she scanned for metal, and cleaned the wounds, the pain killing spray sitting close by within easy reach. He smiled to himself, the motherly instinct within River had obviously kicked in and he wondered, not for the first time if children could ever be a part of their lives. He couldn't help but reflect back all those lifetimes, to his old life, to his children, and their children. How much joy he had found in being a father and grandfather. All gone now though, all lost in the time war. He and his other selves may have saved Gallifrey, but the previous destruction had still happened, Arcadia had still been devastated, and he could still remember the screams from the city as he fought, knowing his family was amongst those screaming for help. That was the moment he had lost a part of himself, and he still felt the ache in his chest from the guilt of not being with them when they died.

He noticed River glancing at him and realised that he must have been stood at the doorway for a while. He smiled softly and entered, pulling a chair forward so that he could sit the other side of Ace. He picked up the hand which River wasn't working on and looked at the damage.

"There, I've finished this one, just need to dress it." River said, using some of the pain killing spray on it and reaching for the bandage. She handed the tweezers to the Doctor. "Could you start that one while I finish here, Sweetie." The Doctor nodded. Ace looked at him, a puzzled expression on her face.

"Sweetie?" She repeated, the Doctor blushed, River laughed. Ace couldn't help but laugh, the pain in her hands was subsiding to a dull ache now that the spray had kicked in. The Doctor cleared his throat, not looking up from his task.

"Yes, River is the only person who is able to call me that on account of being my wife." He muttered. Ace stared at him.

"You got married? I didn't think...that...um."

"What?"

"Well, you know, married. That's a pretty normal thing. You don't do normal." She smiled. "You do running, and danger, and..." She stopped as the Tardis landed. The Doctor let out a small laugh.

"Being married to River tends to involve much running and danger."

"I am always having to rescue him." River winked. "So, where have we landed?"

"Home. I asked the Tardis to bring the other me here." He shrugged at her surprised look. "I used to be crap at steering. It could take a while for him to get here." He tried to look annoyed as River and Ace both laughed at his expense, but failed and had to smile sheepishly. River picked up her sonic and activated the bandages on the hand she had finished dressing, causing them to liquefy and shrink around Ace's fingers, almost like a sheer fingerless glove. The Doctor took the remaining dressings and repeated the action on her other hand.

"There. Give it a few days and they will be good as new." He told her, She grinned.

"Thanks... professors."

?

Ace woke the next morning to the smell of bacon cooking and she pushed herself out of the cosy bed in River and the Doctor's spare room. She glanced down at her still wrapped hands, though the pain had gone completely and felt as though they were well on the way to being healed. She stood and stretched before plodding sleepily into the kitchen. She was wearing a pair of River's more conservative pajamas, with the sleeves and trousers turned up. The Doctor was already up and turned to her and smiled affectionately, Ace looked so young in the oversized sleepwear, with her ponytail askew and ruffled she looked more like twelve than her actual sixteen years. She sat at the table and propped her chin on her elbow, watching the Doctor cook. She couldn't get over the utter normality of the situation, she tried to imagine her Doctor, dressed in pajama trousers, a dressing gown and slippers cooking breakfast, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't. She sat up as a mug of tea appeared in front of her.

"Oooooh ta." She sighed. Taking a sip.

"Strong, one sugar." The Doctor confirmed.

"You remembered." She smiled. The Doctor winked and turned back to his cooking. Within moments, a plate of breakfast appeared in front of Ace, which she tucked into wholeheartedly. She smiled as River entered the Kitchen.

"Morning sweetheart, did you sleep okay?" River asked, smiling at Ace, who nodded back, unable to answer with a mouthful of fried bread and egg. River wandered up to her husband and gave him a kiss on the cheek, Ace couldn't help but notice River's hand sneaking down and giving the Doctor's arse cheek a squeeze. Ace blushed, quickly turning her attention back to her plate, there were some things she just didn't need to know about. River took the seat next to her, holding a mug which had 'Archaeologists do it slow and methodically' on it. Ace tried unsuccessfully to stifle her giggle, River smiled and inclined her head towards the man at the stove

"It was a present from him." She winked as her plate was set before her. The Doctor joined them and they sat and ate. Ace finished and sat back.

"That was amazing. I never new you could cook Professor, umm sorry Doctor." She corrected. River glared at her husband.

"So when you were gallivanting around the universe, did you not feed her." She scolded. The Doctor shrugged.

"We ate out. A lot." He smirked. "I could cook, but there never seemed to be the time."

"Sweetie. You're a time lord. That's not much of an excuse. I can see I'm going to have to go back and make sure that you are feeding your companions properly." She winked at Ace who laughed.

"Oh, don't worry. Now I know he can cook, I'll nag him."

"You do that, don't let him get away with anything dear."

The Doctor stood, putting his empty plate by the sink, muttering something about being ganged up on. He finished his tea and turned back to them.

"Well, since I cooked, I'm leaving the washing up to you two." He grinned and headed back towards the bedrooms, soon after, River heard the shower start up.

They finished eating and sat in silence for a moment. River knew that the girl in front of her had questions. She smiled.

"Go ahead. I'll answer if I can." She said and saw Ace start slightly. The girl looked down at the table. She seemed to hesitate for a moment.

"How long...I mean..." She paused to take a breath. "How long has it been since I was with him?" She looked towards the corridor which led to the bedrooms. "My Doctor, he says he's hundreds of years old, but he has this look, in his eyes. It's like a kid on Christmas morning, full of excitement, and …..hope. This version of him doesn't have that. His eyes, they seem so …..tired." She looked up at River and was horrified to notice a tear rolling down the woman's cheek, "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset..."

"No, it's alright." River scrubbed away the errant tear and took hold of the teens hand. "And you are right. The doctor you travel with is about five hundred years old. When I married him, he was just over twelve hundred years old." She saw the shock on Ace's face. "That was over a thousand years ago for him. Right now, he is just short of two and a half thousand years old. And he's seen a lot in that time. And he's lost a lot."

"Two thousand years! And he still remembered how I liked my tea." Ace couldn't believe the amount of time that had passed.

"Oh Sweetie. He remembers everybody. That's part of the problem. There are so many faces in his past, haunting his sleep. That's the curse of the Time lords, eventually you have to say goodbye to everyone. Even me."

"You! But aren't you..."

"Time lady? It's complicated. But I'm on my last regeneration. Used them all up in one go, and that a very long story which is even more complicated." She paused as she heard the shower shut off. "Tell you what, I've got the washing up covered, you go ahead and use the bathroom." Ace nodded and left the table heading back to the spare room. River stood at the sink, washing the plates on automatic as she gazed out of the window. She started slightly as she felt warm hands on her waist, her husband laid a soft kiss on her neck as he slid his hands around and embraced her from behind.

"Penny for them." He whispered. She dried her hands and turned in his arms, her own arms automatically wrapping around his shoulders. She loved the way his damp hair was extra curly from the shower and she couldn't resist running her hands through them. He raised an eyebrow, making her smile."You looked a million miles away."

"Ace. She's so young. How come she ended up travelling with you. Doesn't she have family?" River asked. The Doctor gave her a sad smile.

"None really. She and her mother are estranged. There's nobody else. I found her with a scoundrel called Sabalom Glitz. I'm not sure what his motives were, but I can guarantee that they were not honourable, the companion I had back then, Mel, she decided to stay with him to 'keep him out of trouble' Mel could handle Glitz, she wouldn't put up with any of his crap. However, I wasn't going to leave Ace waiting tables on Iceworld. She deserved so much more." He glanced towards the door to the bedrooms. "I was so proud of her. She was as close to a daughter as I had after leaving Gallifrey." He smiled broadly. "Eventually, she decided to reclaim her life on earth, to prove all of those who had written her off wrong. With a bit of tutoring, and some strings pulled, she went to university and studied chemistry. Got her masters degree and became a professor. She set up her own charity to help young people all over the world to fulfil their potential." He beamed with pride. River smiled.

"You're really just a big softy , aren't you." She said, leaning in and giving him a soft kiss. He smiled against her lips.

"We'll just keep that to ourselves. Yes?" He whispered before returning the kiss. Neither heard the approach of the teenager as the kiss deepened. Ace watched from the doorway, a smile on her face. She wondered if this is what having a family felt like, and a little part of her felt happy for the Doctor, that he had this in his future. She blushed slightly as River's hands crept up under the Doctor's shirt, exposing some red lines on his lower back which Ace really didn't want to think about. She coughed, revealing her presence. The couple stopped and the Doctor hid his face against his wife's shoulder.

"Yeah, teenager, mentally scarred for life. I've got to go back to my Doc at some point and that's not an image I need." She grinned, making River laugh. The Doctor straightened up, throwing Ace an impressive eyebrow scowl which was softened by the slight smile which he couldn't hide. River pulled away and threw the drying cloth at him.

"I'm going to shower and dress, then how about we go into town. Spend the day with a little bit of retail therapy. Ace here doesn't have any clothes besides those she arrived in..."

"The Tardis has a fully stocked wardrobe. She'll supply anything Ace needs..."

"Oh Sweetie, where's the fun in that?"

?

The sound of a Tardis landing alerted him to the arrival of the Doctor's seventh self. As the blue box materialised the Doctor had been sitting on the steps of the porch, strumming lightly on the acoustic guitar which River had given him. He still loved to play his electric guitar, but the acoustic offered a gentler alternative which River assured him that the neighbours were eternally grateful for.

It had been three day cycles since they had brought Ace home. The first day spent shopping and exploring the local markets and eateries. Day two had been a girly day as River had taken Ace to the ancient city near to the towers where they had spent the day exploring the ruins. Today had been a lazy day, spent in the garden, walking through the blue meadows and simply enjoying being together. The doctor sighed as he set the guitar aside. He had realised that he was going to miss the presence of the teenager. He loved River with every fibre of his being, but he sometimes worried that she might become bored with him, with a linear domestic existence. This body was so much older and grumpier than the Doctor that she had married, and no matter how much he tried, he couldn't shake the fear that she loved bowtie more, and that given the opportunity, she would rather be with him. He shook the melancholy thoughts from his head and stood up and wandered over to the screen door.

"Ladies, we have company." He called. And stood with his hands in his pockets, waiting for his other self to make an appearance. The other Tardis materialised and the door opened, the seventh version of him stumbled out, blood still seeping from a cut on his forehead, indicating that he had come straight from Arcturys Prime.

"Ace!" The small man called as he gripped onto the edge of the door. Twelve darted forward and threw his arm around his other self before he could crumple to the floor. He looped seven's arm around his shoulder and started towards the house just as the door opened and River and Ace stepped out.

"Professor!" Ace called, her voice full of worry. Twelve helped the other him into the kitchen and sat him down at the table. River had grabbed a medical kit and instantly started dabbing at the gash, Seven winced at the contact.

"I'm fine." He groused. His eyes settling on his young companion. "Ace, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, all fixed." She held up her now healed and bandage free hands. He looked at the other two people in the room and as his eyes made contact with the other man's he felt a spark of recognition ignite in his mind.

"You...You're..."

"Yes. But I'm a long way away. Best not dwell on it...Spoilers."

"There, I've cleaned and dressed it, but you should take it easy for a few days. Let it heal properly before you wander off into another adventure." River snapped the kit shut and stepped back, laying a hand on her younger husbands shoulder. She glanced up at her true husband. "Darling, perhaps you should put the kettle on, I think some hot sweet tea may be in order." Seven looked up at the other man, a questioning twinkle in his eye.

"I suppose this is one of those 'spoilers'" Twelve smirked.

"One of the bigger ones." He admitted. "But the two of us together is a paradox, so when you leave, time will right itself and you'll forget this."

"Wait. Will I forget too?" Ace came and stood next to River. "Because I don't want to forget you...this...these last three days have been..."

"Three days!" Seven exclaimed.

"Yes. I said I was rubbish at steering." Twelve turned to Ace and put his arms around her, enveloping her in a hug. He hadn't been a hugger at first, but he could vaguely remember a small, dark eyed person who had taught him the value of a good cuddle. "You will forget the details." He told her, his voice soft, "But the memories will always be there, when the time comes that there's no danger of a paradox, you'll get them back. Until then, we'll be an echo, you'll know we're there, even if you can't remember us." He could see the moisture welling up in the girls eyes. "Hey, come on. None of that leaky eye stuff, you and him have a whole universe of adventures ahead of you. So much more to do. And we'll never forget."

River stepped forward and joined the embrace. Seven sat watching the group hug.

"Am I supposed to join in?" He asked, frowning. River shook her head.

"No, that would be a bit weird."

"Ah, good." He smiled as Ace emerged from the huddle. "I thought I had lost you." He admitted. She nudged him with her elbow.

"Nah. Reckon it'll take more than that to put me off. Give me a minute to get my stuff together." She walked back towards the spare room but paused at the door. "I don't suppose you could help me for a minute." She asked, looking at River, who saw it for what it was, the chance to spend a moment alone.

"Of course Sweetheart." River followed. And the both disappeared from the kitchen. The two timelords spent a few moments in an uncomfortable silence before the younger broke the tension.

"Thank You." He murmured, knowing that the other would understand. The taller man just nodded.

"No thanks necessary. It's been a pleasure. Take good care of her."

"I will."

"Oh, and just a warning. She knows we can cook. You'd better get the Tardis kitchen sorted out, I think you're eating out habits may have just been curtailed." Seven laughed.

"Fair enough. It's a small price." He looked towards the door. "What do you think they are talking about?"

"I dread to think."

?

River and Ace stood in silence, putting the purchases from their shopping expedition into a small holdall. River looked at the girl out of the corner of her eye.

"Penny for them." She said, Ace smiled.

"I really love travelling with the doctor, my doctor I mean. He's the first person to ever really care what happens to me. But these last few days...I'm going to miss this...normal." River threw her head back and laughed.

"Oh Sweetie, I don't think anyone has ever called us normal before." She explained making Ace laugh. She turned and pulled the teen into a hug. "Dorothy..." She saw the girl frown. "Dorothy, it's your name honey, it may not be a name that you would have chosen for yourself, and it's fine to use a name which you prefer. My real name is Melody, but only a few people ever call me that, and most of them are either evil or ..gone. But it's still my name and I won't ever forget it. Just like the Doctor. I know his real name but he will never go by that name again, but he won't ever forget it, it's just for him and me to use in our most private moments, that's when he occasionally calls me Melody." Ace blushed. "To the universe, you are Ace, but maybe to me and that grumpy scot in there, you can be Dorothy, no image, no bravado. Just Dorothy." She smiled a full smile at Ace. "You have years yet of being Ace with him, years of running and explosions. Save Dorothy for later, she'll still be there. And so will we. After the paradox has passed, maybe we can drop in and say hello from time to time."

"So, I'll see you again?" Ace's face brightened.

"Absolutely. I'll make sure of it." River turned back to the bag and put the last of the items in it and zipped it up. "Come on. We had better not keep them waiting too long. Two doctors together never ends well."

River picked up the bag and linked her arm through Ace's and they made their way back to the kitchen.

"Ready?" The older doctor asked and Ace nodded. Seven stood up from the table and approached River.

"I've already said thank you to me, but again, thank you. I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't been there..."

"Oh, something clever, I've no doubt." She grinned and pulled him into a hug. Ace laughed at the muffled yelp of surprise. Seven heard River whisper into his ear "Look after her." He nodded, unable to speak without fear of choking on her hair. Ace looked at the older Doctor and smiled as he opened his arms and welcomed her into an embrace.

"River said you didn't like hugging." Ace mumbled.

"There are exceptions." He replied. Ace felt River join their hug after releasing a flustered seven. Twelve placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "You'll remember this moment." He whispered, telepathically protecting this memory. They released and seven held out his hand for Ace to take. She grinned and took it, slipping her bag over her shoulder.

"Wait!" River reached out and grabbed something off the counter. She held out the frying pan and handed it to seven. "You are going to need this." She told him, winking at Ace. Seven laughed.

"It's a small price to pay."

They all left the house and River and the Doctor watched as Ace and the younger Doctor entered their Tardis. The other machine vanished in a whirlwind of sand and leaves. Twelve put his arm around his wife's shoulder pulling her closer, as much for his own comfort as hers.

"I promised her we'd visit." She said as the blue box faded from sight.

"I thought you might. But she won't remember you saying it." He replied. She smiled.

"I will."

?

Epilogue London, 11 years later, or two weeks, depending on your point of view.

The Doctor reached out and took two glasses of champagne from the tray as a waiter passed them, and handed one to his wife as she stood admiring the north African landscape in the painting in front of them. They were both dressed in their finest, a fine cut black suit and navy blue tie for him which complimented the sheer navy blue ballgown which fitted River in all the right places, her hair piled up into a glamorous arrangement. The were well aware of the lingering looks they had both been getting all evening, but that wasn't why they were there. The art gallery was packed with the rich and famous, all browsing the art on the walls, painted by young people from all over the world, and being sold to raise money for a good cause. 'A Charitable Earth', banners stretched across all available surfaces, and flyers and information was being constantly handed out to remind all those lucky enough to have fame and fortune why they had been invited to this exclusive art gala, to be separated from a not so small amount of that money, and photographed by the hoard of paparazzi to further their own image.

River stopped in front of a smaller painting. In it a couple and what seemed to be their child was walking through a blue meadow, the orangey red sky was broken on the horizon by two huge mountains, like pillars. She smiled and nudged the man at her side. A voice behind them interrupted the moment.

"Do you like it." A young voice asked. "This one was painted by Ms McShane herself. She calls it 'every child's dream' my name's Michael, if there is anything I can help you with...".

"There's no price on this one." The Doctor noticed. The young man who had introduced himself nodded.

"No. The original isn't for sale. We have prints of it which you can buy. But Ms McShane says that this picture means more than money to her."

"Is Ms McShane here?" River asked. Michael nodded. He looked around the room. I can't see her at the moment though.

"That's because she's right behind you." A voice interrupted. They all turned and found the lady in question standing there with a smile on her face. "It's okay Mikey. I've got this, why don't you have a break, you've been flat out since this afternoon." She smiled as the young man nodded and disappeared into the crowd. "He's a lovely guy, only eighteen, his parents disowned him when he came out two years ago, he slept rough for several months before finding himself on my doorstep."

"And you took him in and gave him a second chance." River finished.

"Someone once did that for me." She smiled. She gazed at the picture. The Doctor and River glanced at each other, unsure whether Ace had remembered them at all.

"I Painted that a few months ago," She continued, "when I had a weird dream, that's where this picture came from. I dreamed that a different version of the closest thing I ever had to a father and his wife helped me out of a situation and looked after me for a few days. Just like a proper family. That's when I remembered everything. That's when I suddenly realised where that pair of blue pajamas and the Ziggy Stardust tshirt had come from, they always felt important, but I had no idea where I had got them." She slipped her hand into River's, and her other arm curled around the Doctor's arm. She rested her head against his shoulder. He smiled as he covered her hand with his own. Then he frowned.

"Wait! Was that my Starman shirt?"

"Sweetie, it was too small for you."

"Dave gave me that, as a thank you for helping with the opening riff."

"It was too tight. You looked like you got dressed in the dark and had put on your kids shirt by mistake." She grinned, "It fitted Ace much better, that's why I put it in her bag." The Doctor huffed.

"I still have it, It's a bit faded now, but It's one of my most treasued possesions. You can have it back if you want."

"No. You keep it." He smiled. There was a few moments of quiet before Ace smiled.

"You're looking very sharp by the way, And River, you look truly stunning, there are several gentlemen here who have asked who you are and if I could introduce them." She grinned. "I told them my Father wouldn't be happy about that." The Doctor choked slightly on his champagne. River laughed. "Iv'e often wondered if I had imagined the time I spent on Derillium waiting for my Doc, but then when I saw you here tonight..."

"Sweetie, I'm sorry it took so long to come and see you, we had to wait until you remembered us."

"We saw your graduation ceremony though." The Doctor whispered. "But we had to stay out of the way, the other me was there too."

"And we saw your first million pound fundraiser." River added. "You have achieved so much."

"You were there? You saw me..."

"There have been a couple of other times, but we had to wait until the memories came back. I'm sorry Sweetheart."

"It's okay, I know now. You've been there, even if I didn't know it. That means a lot." She hugged them a bit closer. "Besides, the other you dropped in from time to time. Until about six months ago."

"And shortly after that you had the dream." The Doctor finished. Ace nodded. "He came to visit you in New York, a charity gala between christmas and new year." Again, Ace nodded.

"He...I was injured, heading back to the Tardis. That was the night I regenerated into my eighth self."

"So that was the night my Doctor died and the next was born?" She looked down at the floor. "Somehow I knew, I knew I'd never see him again."

"That must have been the moment that any chance of a paradox passed, and your memories unlocked." River finished. "And you know what that means, we can come and see you more often, I feel a shopping expedition coming on. You can come too this time Sweetie, I'll buy you a new tshirt."

?


End file.
